Seahawks lead NFC after comeback OT thriller vs. Rams

SEATTLE — On Thursday night, the Seattle Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Rams 38-37 in overtime to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

Through the first 15 weeks, the Seahawks looked like one of the best teams in the NFL while compiling an 11-3 record.

On Thursday night, with so much on the line in one of the biggest regular-season games in recent memory, they looked like a team of destiny. The story was all but written about how Seattle would have to take the long road in the playoffs, with two losses to the Rams all but ending its hopes of winning the NFC West and claiming the conference’s top seed, with the first-round bye and home-field advantage that comes with it.

But the Seahawks are now in the driver’s seat for both after an utterly improbable comeback. Seattle erased a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter, after the game was turning into a blowout following two Sam Darnold interceptions against the same team that picked off four of his passes last month at So-Fi Stadium.

The Seahawks got a special teams touchdown by Rashid Shaheed to kick off their comeback, which continued with Darnold throwing a touchdown late in regulation and another one in overtime.

Mike Macdonald went for two and the win, and Darnold delivered, hitting tight end Eric Saubert in the back of the end zone, capping a thrilling win and punching Seattle’s ticket to the playoffs.

Before Thursday, the Seahawks were 0-155-0 all time when trailing by 16-plus points in the fourth quarter, according to ESPN Research.

Here are the most important things to know from Thursday night for both teams:

Most surprising performance: The Seahawks entered Week 16 allowing the second-fewest points of any defense in the NFL. You rarely see Macdonald’s unit get gashed the way it did Thursday night.

Explosive passing plays were the big issue, as Stafford hit them early and often, completing seven throws for 25-plus yards. The Rams racked up 257 yards in the first half — which was 8 more than they managed over four quarters in their win over Seattle in Week 11 — and finished with 581. Even with some longer-developing plays, the Seahawks did not sack Stafford.

But in the end, the defense came up big without safety Coby Bryant, nickelback Nick Emmanwori and cornerback Riq Woolen, who all went down in the fourth quarter

Trend to watch: The Shaheed trade is paying off big. The speedy receiver made two catches on the Seahawks’ winning field-goal drive last week, continuing his emergence as a secondary option to Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

On Thursday night, Shaheed returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown to kick-start Seattle’s fourth-quarter rally. It was Shaheed’s second return touchdown since the Seahawks acquired him before the deadline from New Orleans for fourth- and fifth-round picks. Shaheed had 89 scrimmage yards on two touches against the Rams.

Stat to know: Kenneth Walker III had a 55-yard run for a touchdown as well as a 46-yard catch on a screen play. He’s the first Seattle running back with a 40-yard reception and 40-yard rush in the same game since Shaun Alexander in 2002 against the Vikings, per ESPN Research.

The Seahawks’ run game has been a slog for much of the season, and running back screens haven’t been a big part of Klint Kubiak‘s offense. But Seattle had both going against the Rams. Walker (100 yards) and Zach Charbonnet (32) combined for 132 rushing yards, and each scored a touchdown.

Turning point. The Seahawks’ fourth-quarter rally included one of the stranger 2-point tries. Darnold’s quick screen to Charbonnet was tipped at the line of scrimmage and rolled into the end zone for what looked like an incomplete pass. But Charbonnet made a head’s-up play, grabbing the ball at the goal line just in case. Officials reviewed the play and determined that Darnold’s pass went backward, meaning it was a fumble that Charbonnet recovered for a successful try. — Brady Henderson

Next game: at Carolina Panthers (1 p.m. ET, Dec. 28)

The Rams entered the game with a 62% chance to win the NFC West, but after their loss to the Seahawks, those chances dropped to 25%, according to ESPN Analytics.

The Rams fell to the No. 5 seed in the NFC after Seattle took over the No. 1 spot. Los Angeles’ final two games are against the Atlanta Falcons on “Monday Night Football” in Week 17 and at home against the Arizona Cardinals.

After the Rams took a 30-14 lead in the fourth quarter, their win probability sat at 97% according to ESPN Analytics. Had Los Angeles won, it would have had a 91% chance to win the NFC West.

Instead, the Rams are no longer in the driver’s seat in the NFC West.

What to make of the QB performance: Even without an injured Davante Adams, who was inactive after aggravating his left hamstring injury in Week 15, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was more effective for much of the game against a Seahawks defense that had a lot of success when these teams played in Week 11. On Thursday night, Stafford completed 29 of 49 passes for 457 yards and 3 touchdowns, including one in overtime, but it was not enough for a victory. His 457 passing yards are the fifth most in a game in Rams history and most since Jared Goff had 517 in 2019 Week 4.

Trend to watch: Puka Nacua has 573 receiving yards in his past three games. It’s the most in a three-game span since Josh Gordon had 649 for the Browns in 2013. With Adams injured, Stafford relied even more on Nacua, whose 225 receiving yards are the most by a Rams player since Isaac Bruce in 1997.

Stat to know: Entering Thursday, the Rams were the only team in the NFL that had yet to allow a rush of 30 or more yards, according to ESPN Research. That ended against Seattle on Thursday, when Walker ran for a 55-yard touchdown in the third quarter. — Sarah Barshop

Next game: at Atlanta Falcons (8:15 p.m. ET, Dec. 29)